You & Me
by Kotori Yui
Summary: AU Story! - Becoming virtual friends was the only way Sorey found to confess to Mikleo.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there :D**

 **Waaah ! I don't write for so long that I'm a little nervous xD to top it all, this is my first SorMik fic hahaha  
Let's see... in this you'll read lots of adorkables being, well... adorkables xD especially in the beginning of this chapter teehehehe ~  
Anyways, English is NOT my native language, and as I've said I don't write for a really long time, thus expect lots of ugly mistakes pvp but forgive me for them né ? ~ **

**Then... Enjoy x3 ! ~**

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 **You & Me**

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 **Chapter 1**

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Sorey observed Mikleo intently. His friend was trying his hardest to get focused as he studied; re-reading long texts… highlighting sentences… taking notes… Mikleo looked so beautiful… The way his eyebrows were furrowed as he thought, along with the way his lips pouted from time to time, made his heart beat faster. He looked beautiful _and_ cute! Even though thoughts like those were something very constant whenever it came to Mikleo, his friend looked especially beautiful in moments like this. Sorey truly liked that about Mikleo.

" _Ah, I really like him…"_ He inevitably thought.

On the other hand, Mikleo's eyebrow twitched slightly. For some time now the boy had noticed his friend's intent gaze. He tried to ignore it, yet the intensity of Sorey's green eyes penetrated his very being. Mikleo could feel his heartbeat racing almost uncontrollably inside his chest; however, as if that wasn't enough, he felt the rapid way his cheeks, ears and neck were growing warm. Obviously Mikleo had to distract his emotions and those embarrassing reactions, as well as Sorey and his gaze.

"S-Sorey!" Mikleo intended to sound stern, although his voice trembled nervously in the beginning. He rested the pencil he had in hands over the book sitting on his lap, however the object rolled over one of its sides, falling on the ground in the short gap between his and Sorey's feet.

For a moment they both forgot about their previous feelings of embarrassment, clearly distracted by the pencil lying on the ground. Their first thought was to grab it; and so, none of them hesitated. Mikleo's stretched hand reached his pencil first nevertheless, yet by the time he realized Sorey's hand was softly enveloping some of his fingers.

Surprise was their instant reaction. Their eyes opened wide while looking at their hands.

Mikleo panicked, and quickly grabbed the pencil taking his hand away. However, even though he had successfully escaped from Sorey's touch, his warmth still lingered on his fingers. The boy turned his face away in order to hide his obvious emotions. Mikleo squeezed his eyes shut tightly, pressing the hand Sorey had accidentally touched against his chest; his fingers squeezing the pencil unwittingly. His heartbeat thumped so strongly; so uncontrollably against his rib cage that he could clearly feel it against his hands as well.

He took a deep breath in order to calm down. Sorey was still there, and he couldn't keep behaving in such a way.

Determined, Mikleo faced his best friend one more time, yet his determination vanished as soon as he saw Sorey's exaggeratedly red cheeks. His heart skipped a beat at the sight, and blushing intensely himself as well, Mikleo bursted out in pure embarrassment; "W-Why are you blushing?" He didn't even notice how stupid that sounded, only after hearing the same question directed at him, did he realize it.

"Mikleo too… why are you blushing?" Sorey's tone of voice was gentler and softer than Mikleo's, which increased said male's embarrassment.

"H-Huh? I'm not blushing!" He knew it was pointless to try denying the obvious, but in no way could he admit it!

Sorey's mouth formed a small pout. "Yes, you are."

Mikleo gasped in surprise; cheeks as red as a tomato. He was clearly not expecting his friend to argue back, but he easily followed Sorey's example. "I am not! My cheeks may be a _little_ flushed, but it's only because I've been looking down for too long, studying." Actually, Mikleo was proud of the _good_ excuse he found in so little time. Although that didn't help him in the slightest.

"Hum…" Pouting, Sorey retorted, "That sounds like an excuse. You are clearly blushing."

"I am not!"

"You are!" By now Sorey's brows were furrowed softly. He was getting impatient.

Mikleo was getting quite exasperated himself. He didn't know what to say anymore to argue back against Sorey, so instead he closed his book, stuffed his things inside his bag and stood up frustrated.

"Mikleo?" Sorey muttered getting up as well.

"I am going home. I can't concentrate with you by my side." It was the truth yet, if possible, he wanted Sorey's company for a little longer. But obviously, he couldn't voice his wishes.

"Wait!" Sorey's hand reached out for his arm grabbing it and forcing his friend to stop as intended.

Mikleo looked at him too surprised to react.

"Do you want to go somewhere to relax for a while? You've been studying so hard these past days… if you take a small break I'm sure it won't do you any bad." Although Sorey felt and thought as he had said, the boy just wanted an excuse to stay longer with Mikleo. Even though he saw him everyday at school, he still missed him greatly whenever they went home; though they both lived right next to each other. Sorey just couldn't help it; he liked Mikleo so, so much that he wanted to be with him 24 hours per day.

The boy suddenly blushed at his thoughts. He had to stop right there or else Mikleo would get mad again.

Putting on a gentle smile, Sorey added, "So? What do you think of my idea?"

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Mikleo's fingers delicately turned the page of the book. His amethyst eyes ran through the many sentences written over the white page; every now and then, a small illustration would better describe what had previously been explained… For the past hour, Mikleo had been tirelessly studying, yet…

"Ah-" Letting out a long sigh, Mikleo looked out of the window of his room, having full sight of Sorey's house. Of course that he inevitably remembered Sorey's invitation to go out and relax a little. Although such suggestion had sounded so tempting, Mikleo couldn't allow himself to go along with his friend this time. Though frustrating, but it had been his fault for missing the day of the tests because of a mere cold. Thus he decided to go for the most perfect scores as compensation. It wasn't as if those would be his final exams, but Mikleo had his pride as well.

"I only hope to do it." He muttered as he looked, yet again, at his book more than ready to keep working. However, a small _beep_ coming from his laptop lying on his bed, forced him to change his mind. Curious, Mikleo went to the source of his distraction, and read the surprising message that the blue machine's screen displayed.

" _Hello Luzrov Rulay, The_Sheperd would like to be your friend, what do you wish to do?_

 _Accept / Refuse"_

"Hum?" He frowned while reading that message. "Who?" The boy sat on his bed, placing the laptop over his legs, and finally deciding _The_Sheperd_ 's destiny.

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" _Friendship request accepted!_

 _The_Sheperd, you are now friends with Luzrov Rulay."_

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With a fast click, Mikleo accepted the friendship request. Though true that for a moment he had hesitated, he decided to accept in the end for a simple reason: that was the school's chat, although they had chosen to keep their contact information private, the person on the other side of that request had to be someone from school. There was a possibility that they were someone seeking his help, so Mikleo had made his choice based on his own suppositions. Sure enough, he wouldn't be that far from the truth.

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Sorey's heart skipped not one but a couple of beats. His cheeks reddened slightly, and his eyes shone while looking at his friend's pen name over and over again.

" _H-He accepted. Mikleo… accepted."_

His heart started racing, more with each passing second. The anxiety; the excitement were growing within him. Those emotions invaded him so strongly that it was almost- no, it was impossible to stop them.

"Hey Sorey, isn't there grape flavored ice crea-WHOA!" Entering the brunet's room, Rose was instantly attacked by a very lively and impatient Sorey, who grabbed her by the shoulders while enthusiastically revealing the news.

"Rose, Mikleo accepted!" Sorey said excitedly.

For moments Rose looked perplexed, lost even, yet soon enough she returned to her senses.

"Sorey, you're overreacting. You guys are friends already." She stated the obvious. Sorey released her, pouting.

"This is different!"

"Ah sure… because you want to cowardly confess, right?" Rose had meant to tease her friend, yet Sorey felt offended.

"It's not cowardly!" The boy furrowed his brows as he remarked.

Rose let out a small sigh. It wasn't that she didn't understand her friend, yet to her Sorey's idea was quite pointless for a single reason: both, Sorey and Mikleo, had deep feelings for each other, and such a thing was obvious for everyone, howevernone of them realized it. It was quite frustrating in truth.

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" Although grinning, she sounded apologetic. "So… What's the plan, again?"

"Plan?"

"Yeah, like you added him, so what now?"

Sorey giggled nervously, while scratching the back of his head. "I might not have a plan."

Rose shouldn't, because it was Sorey after all, yet she was incredibly taken aback.

"You really…" For moments she kept quiet, looking at the boy who let out another giggle. Rose sighed. It seemed that she had no choice; she would have to lend a hand to _The_Sheperd_ and his other half, _Luzrov Rulay_.

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Mikleo looked at the time his laptop displayed; ten minutes had passed and nothing came from whomever had added him. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been added by mistake.

A small sigh escaped through his mouth. _"You're thinking too much Mikleo."_

As he was ready to put the laptop back on the bed, so that he could returnto his studies, a new _beep_ sounded softly from it. His heart skipped a beat, actually. His finger quickly ordered the mouse to open the small chat window.

" _ **The_Sheperd:**_ _I'm in love with you"_

Mikleo had to actually read twice to make sure he was not imagining things. When he finally confirmed what his eyes read, his heart thumped harder inside his chest, while his cheeks reddened intensely like they did whenever he got dazed admiring Sorey. Yet, it was a momentary reaction, as he soon realized the most important thing: some anonymous student, from the same school as him, was most likely playing a prank on him; otherwise why would they hide their profile information? People who did that were rare after all. Besides, Mikleo had never heard of _"The_Sheperd"_ before. This was definitely a prank!

As he was about to reply, he received a new message.

" _ **The_Sheperd:**_ _I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry ( ╥ω╥ ) ! I know that this was sudden, but I just really wanted to tell you my feelings. Forgive me…"_

Mikleo was at a loss for words. However, more than anything, Mikleo was confused. Should he believe on this person or not? That's what he pondered the most about while re-reading _"The_Sheperd"_ s messages.

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"Rose, why would you do that? I was planning to confess only after some time!" Sorey sounded annoyed as he typed a honest apology desperately, hoping that Mikleo wouldn't remove him from his friends. Knowing Mikleo as he did, he was sure that he would be doubting that confession right now; probably assuming that it was some kind of joke.

Sorey clenched his fist while wishing for his best friend to not remove his friendship.

"Oh, so you had a plan!" Rose tried to joke about it, yet all she received in exchange was a glare from the boy. "Ah geez… Sorry, sorry! But since you said that you hadn't any plans I thought I would help you a little."

"That was not helping at all! Mikleo will remove me from his friends and I won't be able to tell him how I feel." Sorey couldn't help but panic a little. He had thought a lot of countless ways to confess to Mikleo, and coming up with this idea had not been easy, so thinking of failing after getting so far was disappointing, yet more than anything, really frustrating.

Rose was actually starting to feel guilty. She had meant to help but, most likely, she had screwed things up.

A rather loud _beep_ surprised both teens, who quickly checked the school's chat.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _I can't say that I trust you, because I don't really know if this is a prank or not, but either way… Thank you for your feelings."_

Sorey's heart was filled with hope thanks to Mikleo's reply. Although it seemed that he didn't totally believe in his confession, at least he hadn't removed him from his friends. It was a good sign.

"See, Sorey? My help wasn't all that bad right?" Rose said more confident.

Yet, the sudden new message he received destroyed half of the living hope within him.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _However I cannot accept your feelings. I'm sorry."_

"Ah…" Rose was unable to hide her surprise. "Sorey…" She glanced at the boy anxiously, only to see him more determined than ever.

" _ **The_Sheperd:**_ _Can I ask you why?"_

He sent but quickly regretted his action, so he added:

" _ **The_Sheperd:**_ _Of course, only if you want to tell me. Sorry if I'm insisting too much (_ _＞﹏＜_ _) … I just like you so much that I can't help it"_

Rose looked at Sorey's message taken aback. She knew how straightforward he was, but she wasn't expecting this right now; especially after Sorey's reaction to her _help_.

"Wow Sorey, you're quite bold aren't you?"

"Eh?" He was confused.

"And not long ago you were complaining at me. Did you change your mind?" The redhead asked grinning.

Sorey looked at what he had written again, and just like Rose, he too was taken aback.

"Uwaaaah!"

His face grew unbearably hot. He couldn't believe he had written something so embarrassing. Why hadn't he realized it. It was as if his feelings for Mikleo were controlling him.

" _ **The_Sheperd:**_ _anyways, thank you for accepting my friendship request"_

"I'm such an idiot…" He couldn't help but mutter lowly.

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When he thought he could calm down a little, Mikleo read the newest messages from _"The_Sheperd"_ and was pulled into that person's world once again. His heart pounded against his chest. Even though he didn't know if this was a prank or not, somehow Mikleo couldn't doubt their feelings.

He thought for a while what to reply back, and finally he decided to be honest.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _It's okay. Thank you for adding me._

 _There's someone I like already. I'm sorry…"_

He wondered if apologizing for a second time would be the right thing to do, but it didn't seem wrong, so he decided to include the apology in his message. After sending his reply, a sudden curiosity began invading him, thus he wrote a new message.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _Can I know who you are?"_

Mikleo waited yet he never obtained a single reply. Had he rushed things by asking that? He began to doubt and regret having sent that last message. Nevertheless he decided to wait a little for a reply, but no matter how long he waited nothing would reach him. When he checked, " _The_Sheperd_ "s status was already offline, thus Mikleo could only wonder what had happened, but since nothing new came, he decided to go back to his studies. Of course he returned later at night to check for new replies, however he had nothing new on his inbox. He couldn't help but feel worried, even though he didn't know who the other person was it was strange when someone suddenly stopped replying and logged out in the middle of a conversation; something had happened, that was his conclusion. And, as if that wasn't enough, his curiosity only increased. In the end Mikleo really hoped to receive a reply soon.

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 **I'm gonna have so much fun writing this -w- fufufu** ❤

 **I've really wanted to write a fic like this, where they're all awkard and kawaii around each other, so here it is :3 ~**

 **Once again, sorry for mistakes m(uvu)m and I hope you had enjoyed so far ~**

 **Bye~Bye,** **❤⌒ヽ(*'､^*)chuu***


	2. Chapter 2

**Yô -O-)/ so here I am with one more chap :3 this was easy to write but hard to correct (?) xD anyways, enjoy the fluff and the kawaii awkwardness *3* ❤**

 **As usual, mistakes ahead forgive me for them m(uvu)m ~**

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 **Chapter 2**

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Sorey had felt so anxious to receive Mikleo's reply, that when he finally read it, his heart sunk incredibly in great pain.

Rose looked at Sorey astonished with the newest message from Mikleo, forgetting for a moment who it was that the boy actually liked. The sadness on Sorey's face was too unbearable for her to keep seeing, thus she tried her best at cheering her friend up.

"C'mon Sorey…" She patted him on the shoulder once, her hand gently resting over it. "It's not like he told you that he's going out with someone! He simply told you that there's someone he already likes, right?"

Sorey nodded lifelessly. Rose's hand twitched over his shoulder. She never thought the day would come when she would see Sorey so miserable because of love. Although she sympathized with him, she found it amusing as well. Usually he was always so cheerful and lively, able to put his sadness away just so he wouldn't worry anyone, but when something happened between him and Mikleo he would be as easy to see through as crystal clear water, unable to hide anything from anyone.

" _Mikleo, you're frightening!"_ She thought to herself.

"Sorey!" Rose spun his chair around until the boy finally faced her. Determined, she spoke, "You're not going to give up just because of this right? I thought you liked Mikleo so much that you lose control over yourself sometimes…? Am I wrong?"

"I like him a lot." He voiced his true feelings lowly, as if afraid Mikleo would hear from his house next door.

"Then you can't give up! You have to captivate Mikleo as _The_Sheperd_." Even though she hadn't liked Sorey's idea before, now she felt that maybe such an idea had a meaning, so she decided to motivate him.

"Hum." Even though he agreed, he just didn't feel very confident. He didn't know who Mikleo liked, so he had no idea how to try and captivate Mikleo more than that person could. Sorey had no idea what they looked like, so he didn't know if he ever would have the chance to get Mikleo's attention like they could. Were they cute, or were they good-looking? And were they older or younger? What was Mikleo's type in the first place? All these thoughts were driving him crazy. However, now that he stopped to think, Sorey realized that when it came to love he didn't know anything about Mikleo, and this shocked and pained him more than anything.

"I just didn't know."

Rose frowned confused, expecting Sorey to continue with his speech and enlighten her, yet that didn't seem to be the boy's intention as he remained silent. But obviously, Rose couldn't stand the frustration of not having heard something that might have ended up being important, for all she knows.

"You didn't know…?" She encouraged him to continue, and thankfully it ended up working.

"I didn't know that Mikleo had someone he liked."

Rose almost face-palmed. _Almost._ It's true that she knew that Mikleo liked Sorey and vice versa, yet she had forgotten how dense Sorey was to not see it as well. And Mikleo was just like that too; though on his case things seemed to be a tiny bit different. While Sorey couldn't notice Mikleo's feelings for him, Mikleo did notice Sorey's, yet he did not dare to believe they were true. With time and observation, Rose understood that Mikleo's problem was doubting of Sorey's feelings. He, most likely, thought that Sorey liking him was something impossible, thus he didn't dare to let his heart fool him. And that was the great conclusion Rose had reached; with a bit of help from Lailah of course. She seemed to be an expert when it came to Sorey's and Mikleo's relationship.

When she thought of opening her mouth and speak, Sorey added instead, "Why didn't he tell me anything?"

"Well…"

"Doesn't he trust me anymore? Aren't we best friends? I thought that there weren't any secrets between us, but it seems that I was wrong." He paused briefly, furrowing his brows as the truth hit him harder now that he was about to voice it. "And I just realized that I might not know Mikleo as well as I thought I did, and for some reason, I don't like that."

"Sorey…" Rose could clearly see how hurt Sorey was just by looking at his face, and that hurt her as well because in truth she had the power to heal his fresh wounds, yet she felt like doing nothing was the best thing for both, Sorey and Mikleo, or so she liked to think... However, she wasn't sure anymore; she really needed some good advice, so she knew that tomorrow the first thing she would do was complaining to Lailah until she got sick of it, and then, she would finally hear Lailah's mature opinion. Rose was sure she would feel much better and confident after that.

"Sorey…" She called again, having the boy's green eyes finally looking up at her. Her hand then moved from Sorey's shoulder to his back, friendly patting him. With a gentle smile, Rose said. "Cheer up okay?" Even though she was trying her best to comfort her friend, all Sorey did was humming with a sad smile.

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Lazily, feeling a certain dizziness, Sorey put on his shoes. Since he first opened his eyes this morning, he didn't feel totally well. He didn't feel particularly sick nonetheless, just an uncomfortable dizziness and slightly tired. He could only assume that the cause for such a thing was the lack of sleep. Because of his discoveries, Sorey felt too anxious and thanks to that he had been unable to sleep until much, much late.

Trying to shake those emotions away, Sorey headed for the front door, however as soon as his fingertips touched it, he stepped back quickly, as if he had been painfully electrified. Sorey was hesitating. He wanted to leave… He _needed_ to leave and go to school, but Mikleo was waiting for him outside like always... what had made him so happy every single day and eager to the arrival of a new morning, was scaring him more than anything at the moment. He was afraid. Sorey still wanted to see and to be with Mikleo, of course, that wasn't even questionable, but finding out that he kept secrets from him had shocked him too much. He had always believed that he knew Mikleo better than anyone else, and such a fact made him so happy that now he was afraid of seeing Mikleo because he knew that his head would run a mile per minute, if not less, with countless thoughts and theories just to try and justify Mikleo's choice of keeping secrets from him.

Sorey sighed, exasperated, getting closer to the door and leaning his forehead against its cold surface softly.

" _What should I do?"_

As he thought, his cell phone vibrated inside the pocket of his pants bringing him back to reality.

Getting it out of his pocket, he unlocked it with his obvious password. His phone didn't use to have a password, but because Edna and Rose would snatch it away time and time again, Sorey was forced to protect the content in it from them; little did he know that everyone knew his code. He had photos of Mikleo sleeping or too distracted with something else to notice him taking them, thus he didn't want anyone else to find them out; besides, he couldn't afford letting others fall for his best friend. Sorey wanted to avoid gaining rivals. Although, he had one even though he didn't know who just yet. But it's not as if he was interested in meeting them… Well, part of him was, though reluctantly.

The boy tried to push those thoughts away with a deep breathe. He couldn't get even more depressed.

Sorey's eyes looked at his phone, checking the sender of the newest message. On the screen, bold letters formed Mikleo's name. With the simple sight of it, his heart skipped a beat. With shaking fingers, Sorey tapped over the small envelope on the screen, fastly opening his friend's text.

 _ **From:**_ _Mikleo_

 _ **Subject:**_ _Good morning_

 _I'm outside, what happened? You're taking too long..._

 _Are you coming? I'm worried, so you better answer me!_

The simple fact of knowing that Mikleo was worried about him, gave him new strength and made him incredibly happy. Sorey still found amazing how easily Mikleo had control over his heart, but since long ago that he found such a thing something natural.

"I can't get here lost in thought forever!"

Determined, Sorey opened the door, revealing the morning sunlight of a bright new day. His green eyes scanned their surroundings, finding Mikleo's figure awaiting him. Their eyes met and Sorey's heart raced.

"Sorey…" Mikleo called out to him softly, and by doing so, a great battle of feelings started within Sorey. His feelings of anxiety, fear and nervousness were returning; yet accompanying them were also his feelings of love towards Mikleo.

Sorey saw how Mikleo started to move closer to him wearing a serious expression, which only made him even more nervous and confused as well. Perhaps that was the reason he felt even more dizzy.

"You…" Sorey heard Mikleo's voice utter softly yet again, and the next thing he became aware of was Mikleo's hand gently pressed against his forehead.

Sorey's green eyes widened in surprise at the sudden gesture. His heart too, manifested its surprise by jumping wildly in his chest.

"Mik-"

"If you've got a fever what are you doing here? More like, why are you in your uniform? Where do you think you are going?" Mikleo scolded him seeming irritated enough for Sorey to apologize.

"S-Sorry. I didn't think that I had a fever." The boy confessed honestly. At least he now knew the reason for his dizziness.

"Honestly you…" Mikleo let out a small sigh. Sorey was as oblivious as usual; worrying him constantly. Although, that was one of the things he liked about him. "Anyways, for the time being let's go inside." He suggested smiling fondly at his friend.

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"This will help you getting rid of the fever." Mikleo said putting the cup he had in hands on the desk of Sorey's room. He then grabbed the chair and moved it closer to the sick boy's bed, quietly sitting next to Sorey.

"Later you should drink it again. Maybe after lunch and then again after dinner. Well, your mother will be here by lunchtime, so she'll take care of you better than me."

Explanation given, Mikleo leaned ever so slightly towards Sorey, who laid now on the bed, trying to reach his forehead with the palm of his hand. Even though he knew that the medicine hadn't had the time to take effect, Mikleo couldn't help but worry over Sorey. He wondered why he had gotten himself a fever if even yesterday he was so well… But he did know that a cold could appear out of the blue, even more so in Hexen Isle where the weather could get quite cold at night, so there was no point in questioning such a thing.

"Hum…" Feeling his friend's warm forehead, Mikleo frowned in frustration. If only he could make the medicine work faster…

Sorey's hand on top of his brought him back to reality. His eyes widened in shock.

"Sorey-" His soft voice muttered slowly as if trying to understand the reason behind Sorey's gesture. Said male, nonetheless, simply smiled, eyes closed as if appreciating something.

"It's cold… It feels good.."

"Eh? Well of course, you have a fever so my temperature will always feel good to you." Mikleo pointed out the obvious.

Sorey remained silent. Mikleo had even thought he had fallen asleep. Yet, not too long after his explanation, Sorey said, "I guess." Obviously Mikleo was confused. Was there something he had missed in their short dialogue?

As if reading his mind, Sorey added, pushing his confusion away, "I like it, when Mikleo takes care of me."

Mikleo's hand trembled slightly under Sorey's, over his friend's forehead.

" _What did he…"_

He was in a state of incredulity. Had he heard well?

" _I like it, when Mikleo takes care of me."_

Sorey's words played in his head over and over, until they finally reached him full force. His face was the first showing it, flushing all the way up to his ears. He opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out. What should he say in the first place? How should he even act now? Mikleo felt hopeless against the embarrassment, so removing his hand from the other boy's forehead and turning away was the only solution he found to escape that feeling.

"Mikleo?"

He panicked at the sound of Sorey's voice. "T-Toilet… I-I'm going to the toilet." He replied getting up and walking to the door, leaving the room in a hurry. He walked a couple of steps away from the room until he was distant enough, and then he stopped on his tracks as a whirlwind of feelings attacked him strongly.

 _Ba-bump… Ba-bump… Ba-bump…_

The sound of his intense heartbeat against his eardrums, made his cheeks redden even more as he recalled Sorey as he uttered those words.

"Why did heー"

In truth, Mikleo felt frustrated as well. He didn't know what had gotten into Sorey to say something so embarrassing in such a bold yet so gentle way. Mikleo knew that Sorey had seriously meant those words. However, no matter how happy he felt, deep down Mikleo knew that Sorey hadn't mean them in the romantic way his heart had preferred to listen to them.

Leaning against the nearest wall, Mikleo started to feel calmer, yet a sudden sadness invaded his previously excited and happy heart. Each time the truth brought him to reality, he would always feel heartbroken. Sorey was truly unfair; spouting misleading lines every now and then, always so oblivious of everything surrounding him.

"Yet, I still like him." A long sigh escaped through his lips.

"Oh my, that was an incredible long sigh Mikleo. What happened?"

Taken aback, Mikleo turned towards the familiar voice with slightly flushed cheeks.

"Se-Se-Selene-san you're back?" He couldn't really hide his surprise.

"I'm back." The woman stated the obvious grinning. "But I should be the one surprised here. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?" As he was ready to reply, Selene interrupted him by adding, "Don't tell me… Did that kid fall asleep again?"

"No, actuallyー"

"Ah jeez! I told him so many times not to stay up until late reading those ancient books that no one cares about, yet he never listens to me." She looked at the younger boy with a serious face and got closer to him, gently grabbing him by the shoulders and saying while looking into his amethyst orbs. "You came here to wake him up, am I right? Ah~ as usual… You're such a good boy Mikleo. Thank you for always putting up with my son."

For a moment he was too stunned to react. Selene hadn't even given him the opportunity to answer back. He already knew that it was part of her personality rambling unstoppably, he should have been used to it by now, or so he thought.

"Selene-san, Sorey didn't fall asleep because he wanted. In fact he…"

❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤ **SM** ❤

Sorey's half-lidded eyes threatened in getting closed, yet the sick boy tried his hardest to prevent it from happening. Sleeping right now would be a waste of time. Mikleo was still there with him, so he wanted to enjoy their time together to the fullest; even sick! He could still talk to Mikleo… He could also look at him… Just by being near Mikleo was enough for him, so sleeping was out of question.

" _I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep. I can't fall asleep…"_ Sorey repeated to himself as if casting a magic spell.

Thankfully, the gods seemed to be on his side today, as the loud sound of the door of his room being harshly opened woke him up better than his repetitive thoughts.

"Sorey!"

"Mom?"

Concern was clear on his mom's face. The woman approached his bed, leaning ever so slightly over her son in order to feel his temperature. Their foreheads touched softly and his green eyes fluttered close with the gesture.

"It doesn't seem to be too high." She said sounding relieved.

Sorey smiled warmly. "I'm alright. Mikleo already took care of me. Don't worry." Mikleo flushed slightly at those words, but decided to remain silent. Besides, Selene was now in the room.

Selene distanced her head from the brunet's a little, grinning knowingly. Sorey's cheeks burned instantly. His mother could be such a tease sometimes! It was still a mystery to him how she had found out about his feelings towards Mikleo though. He had always thought he had hidden them well at home… But, his mother was sharp, that much he knew.

"I should get going then." Mikleo's voice brought him back to reality. His heart stopped beating for a split second at the thought of not seeing Mikleo again today.

"Will you come back later?" Sorey asked forgetting about his mother, instead he looked in the other boy's direction, hopeful about his reply.

Mikleo was already at the door of Sorey's room, ready to leave, yet before doing so he replied, his back facing Sorey, "Of course. I still have to take care of you." The boy could feel his ears and cheeks burning all the way down to his neck. Only after saying such a thing, did he become aware of how embarrassing that was. Yet, it was too late to take it back now; besides he didn't want to take it back either. Without looking at his friend, Mikleo added, "I'll see you later."

Sorey didn't have the time to reply, since Mikleo practically fled from his room. However he couldn't stop the big grin from making its way on his lips. Mikleo would be back later, _and_ to take care of him. Just thinking that made him anxious for the end of the day. He was so happy that he didn't even care about the way his mother laughed mockingly next to him. The only thing Sorey could think of was Mikleo's little promise that made his heart beat faster by the second. Little did he know that his own heart was beating in sync with Mikleo's.

* * *

 **Yes they live in Hexen Isle, first because I wanted this to make sense and all the characters are from different places right? That couldn't be the case in my fic, so I wanted a place where they could be all together but I still wanted them to live in the Zestiria world, thus Hexen Isle it is (bc I like that damn island xD) of course, this doesn't mean that they won't go visit other places ;3 ~**

 **Also, Selene is alive, Muse and Michael as well and happily teasing their sons/nephew xD**

 **And I think this is all ... Thanks for reading so far uwu ❤**

 **Bye~Bye, ❤⌒ヽ(*'､^*)chuu***


	3. Chapter 3

**Yô ^0^)/ here I am again with one more chap :3 and I still can't believe how fast I am with the updates lmao (seriously, I'm terrible with them usually uXu)  
**

 **Anyways, fanfiction can be really frustrating sometimes pvp why can't we use kaomojis, Jesus Christ v )/ ! well, I had to change some of them for more 'normalest' ones lol but maa, it doesn't change that much what I had intended to portray xD**

 **Sorry if this chapter has more mistakes and typos than usual pvp but my cat was suddenly craving my attention and after re-reading this 3 times in a row while hearing him meowling like crazy and staring at me, I couldn't focus anymore ;v; I will try to look at it tomorrow again! ~  
Then, enjoy as much as it's possible ;3 ! ~ **

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Having changed his shoes for the ones from school, Mikleo saved his other pair inside his small locker. Closing its door carefully, the boy looked at his right side, to the locker right next to his; Sorey's locker. A soft yet uncomfortable pang in his heart bothered him again. The way to school had felt awfully boring without Sorey, and when he had arrived at the school gates without Sorey by his side, he had felt a certain emptiness within him. And now, while looking at Sorey's locker and not having the boy there with him, smiling and talking to him like always, made him even more aware of how incomplete his life was without his friend by his side.

Mikleo's mouth let out a small sigh. He felt stupidly ridiculous. His friend was just sick at home, and probably would be back tomorrow as if his fever had never happened, so it was completely pointless feeling so depressed over Sorey's absence. Yet here he was, getting bothered over every little detail even though he had been with Sorey not too long ago.

Putting his feelings aside for now, Mikleo looked at his wristwatch checking the time. He noticed that he was too late for his first class, thus he decided not to interrupt it, and head instead for the library, while waiting for his next class. He would take the opportunity to study some more. His tests would be this upcoming friday, thus he still had two more days to study; and every minute doing it was important.

* * *

Re-reading the last sentence of his notes, Mikleo sighed, feeling too tired already. He knew he had been the one deciding to study, yet he still had a long day of classes ahead, thus he decided to stop for now.

He looked at his wristwatch; 15 more minutes remained until the bell that would announce break time rung. His eyes looked back at his open books and notebooks. He didn't know what to do with the remaining time. If only Sorey was there… Wait, that was actually a stupid thought. Had Sorey been there, they would have been both attending classes.

The boy let out another sigh. He noticed that lately he had been sighing a lot. It was mainly because of Sorey. Maybe he should punish him in some way; like not making him his bentou… or maybe cooking something he disliked…

"That'd be pointless." Mikleo ended up uttering to himself, feeling a certain frustration at his own thoughts.

Speaking of his bentou, he had brought Sorey's bentou with him. Well the other boy was sick at home, so his mother would cook for him. But, what should he do with it? Maybe, give it to someone else…? He would think about it later, anyways.

His eyes scanned his surroundings, noticing how empty the library was while classes were in course. Looking back at his things, his cell phone over the table caught his full attention. An harder thump of his heart made his hand twitch as it tried to grab the device. A strong will of sending a text to Sorey to ask him how he felt, was born within him. Mikleo pondered for a long while if he really should do it. What if Sorey was sleeping and his text awoke him? Or worse… what if Sorey found him too bothersome? After all he had already seen him today, and getting a message from his friend would probably end up being too much…?

Mikleo frowned frustrated. When it came to Sorey he ended up thinking minutely about every single thing that he should, or not, do. And, in the end, he would give up on half of his ideas.

Trying to get rid of his negative emotions, Mikleo unlocked his cell phone, noticing the notification of an unread message on his chat. He got surprised for a moment, but thinking better, he remembered of putting his phone on silence before entering in the library.

All of a sudden, his mind brought back memories of _The_Shepherd_. Mikleo's heart skipped a beat as he recalled the very last message he had sent. If he thought well about it, Mikleo realized that what he had asked had been too selfish. The other person had confessed to him, and loving Sorey as much as he did, he obviously rejected them. Yet, in the end, he had asked them if they could tell him their identity, without even realizing that his words were more cruel than he had wanted. As he too was in a situation of unrequited love, he better than anyone else, should understand how _The_Shepherd_ felt. Mikleo was regretting his tactless message. Truly. He should apologize.

Although such thoughts ran through his mind, without actually checking his inbox, Mikleo would never know for sure if the message he got was from _The_Sheperd_ or not. Thus, he moved his thumb over his phone's screen, tapping over the small red envelope and saw how a new window popped up, revealing the unread message.

The first thing that his eyes did was checking the sender's name. Mikleo confirmed his previous suspicions, yet he still felt a certain nervousness as he read the pen name. The guilt he had felt moments ago, returned to bother him. He frowned as he tried to ignore his negative feelings. For now, he should just read the message.

And so, he did.

" _ **The Shepherd:**_ _Hi.  
_ _I'm sorry for disappearing so suddenly yesterday (*_ _)_ _人_

 _As for what you asked… I'm sorry, again, but I still don't feel ready to let you know who I am. But I'd like to talk to you more if that's possible…?"_

Mikleo read the message, surprised at the double apology. If there had been someone in the wrong, it had been him. Yet, even though he should show more concern and feel more guilty, _The_Shepherd_ 's words made him feel treasured, above all. That person cared about him. And even though he didn't know them, Mikleo felt a certain happiness within him; especially at his request that gave him the impression that that person was slightly desperate to create a connection with him. His face flushed lightly. Did they like him so much? It was a little embarrassing, as he had never really considered having someone else liking him in such a way. His heartbeat increased ever so slightly. He really didn't want to question _The_Shepherd_ 's feelings right now; nor any time soon. It would be─ _was_ too embarrassing. Mikleo wouldn't stand it all at once.

As he started tapping a possible reply on his phone, _The_Shepherd_ sent him a new message.

" _ **The_Shepherd:**_ _Or maybe not…? (~u~)"_

Mikleo chuckled softly at the newest message. After all, _The_Shepherd_ was truly desperate to keep in touch with him. Mikleo found it amusing, somehow.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _Hi  
_ _First of all, there's no need for you to apologize. It was careless of me to ask you such a thing after rejecting you. Despite what you may think, I understand what you may be feeling. When I rejected you, I had no intention of hurting you, but that was something inevitable… so, for hurting you, I'm sorry."_

Mikleo sent his message, yet he was far from being finished. Thus, his fingers typed the continuation of his previous message.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _As I too am experiencing an unrequited love, I should have paid more attention to my words, but I guess I was too surprised at your friendship request and at the sudden confession._

 _Still, this shouldn't be an excuse. So, I hope you can forgive me."_

Satisfied enough with the last part of his message, Mikleo sent it without a second thought. He had decided to be honest with the person on the other side of the chat. They deserved that much after being treated so lightly. Even though that hadn't been Mikleo's intention.

Not many minutes passed by until he received a reply. He only hoped that his true feelings had reached _The_Shepherd_ , so he could be forgiven. He still felt guilty, despite of how amused he had felt as he read the previous messages. Without hesitation, his eyes read the newest reply to his messages. And, while he expected some sort of forgiveness, he surely didn't expect all the joy and uncontrollable eagerness he had felt in that reply.

" _ **The_Shepherd:**_ _Unrequited love? Yours? Does that mean that I still have a chance? (_ _・∀・_ _)"_

Mikleo looked at his phone astonished, face flushing intensely by the second with embarrassment.

"This idiot…" He muttered as he typed a new reply, heart beating faster than it should. Even without knowing _The_Shepherd_ he could, somehow, start to guess how he was.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _Don't ask me that_ _(╬ Ò_Ó) !"_

Exactly! How should he know that?

Mikleo made sure to even add an emoticon to show his displeasure. Although, half of it was due to the embarrassment he suddenly felt. The boy sent his message and noticed a new one that had, most likely, been sent at the same time as his.

" _ **The Shepherd:**_ _Ah! Sorry I didn't mean to seem so happy at your unrequited love_ _(╥.╥)"_

A small sigh escaped through his lips. Mikleo felt a tiny bit tired all of a sudden. This person was too straightforward, and too slow in realizing their mistakes. But well, in the end they still apologized. They reminded him of Sorey, in a way. His friend was usually the only one tiring his brain like this with his misleading lines. Besides, they both were too honest without paying attention at their surroundings. That was the impression _The_Shepherd_ gave him, from the two times they had talked so far. However, although it bothered him how honestly _The_Shepherd_ showed his happiness, it also let the feeling of being loved by someone else sink in.

Although it was embarrassing.

" _ **The_Shepherd:**_ _You're mad... I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings_ _(╥.╥)"_

Another thing Mikleo noticed that Sorey and _The_Shepherd_ had in common was the extreme usage of emoticons. He, himself, rarely used them, but Sorey did for everything. When Mikleo once asked him the reason for it, Sorey had simply said _'Because they express myself really well.'_ and he left it at that. Yet, he still thought that Sorey didn't need to send them so often in their messages, as he simply by reading his replies, understood and could even imagine Sorey's expression and tone of voice without needing to see an emoticon. Although he wouldn't complain. It was too Sorey-like and he didn't dislike it.

He smiled softly without even realizing it. Even though he had felt so bored without Sorey by his side, right now the simple thought of him made Mikleo warm and happy on the inside.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _I'm not mad… But, I guess we are even now."_

Sending his reply, Mikleo noticed the time on his cell phone. Classes would finish in five minutes. The sudden idea of apologizing to his teacher, and explaining him his and Sorey's absence, occurred to him. Decided, he typed one last message.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _I need to go, classes will end in a while."_

" _ **The_Shepherd:**_ _Can I still talk to you? Maybe… later? "_

Mikleo chuckled.

" _ **Luzrov Rulay:**_ _You can._

 _I really need to leave now."_

" _ **The_Shepherd:**_ _(*≧ω≦*) o_ _kay. Then… later, Mikleo_ _!"_

Mikleo knew that since _The_Shepherd_ liked him, they had to know his name; it was only natural. Yet, somehow, he felt extremely embarrassed at reading his name in their message. Especially because of how happy they seemed. Ah damn it… He should just leave already!

The boy closed the chat window and locked his phone, saving it inside the small pocket in his bag. As he ordered his things, stuffing them carefully inside the same bag where his phone already rested, Mikleo wondered if _The_Shepherd_ had been messaging him while in classes. Yet, then it occurred him that there were a couple of teachers who excused their students from lessons a bit earlier than break time. Thus, Mikleo didn't think too much into it anymore. Although, he felt a bit paranoid all of a sudden. What if _The_Shepherd_ was observing him while talking to him? Such a thought only made the blood rush to his face. He shouldn't think too much about it.

* * *

"Mikleo! What happened? You rarely skip classes!" Rose said, concerned, as said boy approached his group of friends.

"I bet that he was up until late, 'nerding' around with Sorey. They _both_ skipped classes after all." Edna, decided to give her opinion without giving the boy the time to reply.

Mikleo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "For your information, Sorey has a fever and I had to convince him to stay at home, as he intended to come to school like that." He sat down on the wooden bench, next to his annoying blonde classmate. Having explained everything to his homeroom teacher, he now decided to join his friends and enjoy the rest of break time. He deserved as well, after studying so much.

"Eh? Sorey is sick?" Another blonde girl, sitting beside Rose on the bench in front of his and Edna's, asked clearly worried. Mikleo felt a light twinge in his heart, but thanks to Edna's mockery, he was able to ignore it.

"Oho~ so you weren't 'nerding' around, you were _nursing_ him. Meebo, you should cosplay a nurse next time, I bet that Sorey would feel overjoyed and better in the blink of an eye."

Although he had been thankful to Edna's mockery before, he now felt more annoyed than ever; he decided to ignore his embarrassment along with Edna's useless and stupid suggestion. Instead, he replied to the worried blonde in front of him.

"Yes, but there's no need to worry. When I left he was feeling a bit better. Besides, his mother is there with him."

Alisha frowned and Mikleo assumed that his words hadn't relieved her in the slightest. His hands over his legs, were briefly balled into fists. He was regretting what he would suggest already, but he liked Alisha, so leaving her worried and anxious was not an option.

"If you want, we can visit him later, after classes." He omitted his promise to Sorey, of course. They didn't need to know about it, especially Alisha. Mikleo liked the girl. He respected and admired her, yet he also felt guilty feelings towards her; jealousy being the most worrisome. From all their friends, Alisha's affinity with Sorey was different. It was hard to describe it, but they got along so well… had so much in common… Sometimes, he envied her for all the time she spent with Sorey. He knew he shouldn't, as he was the person who spent more time by Sorey's side, yet he couldn't control those ugly feelings.

Her worried expression was fastly replaced by a happy and hopeful one at his words. "Really? I'll gladly accept your invitation!" She smiled gently at him, and he returned it.

"Oh! Meebo, so you're going to follow my advice and cosplay? Alisha, don't you forget to take photos!"

"Y-Yes!" Even though she had agreed, the girl seemed troubled.

"You… Just stay quiet for a moment!" Mikleo said feeling too tired and embarrassed to even argue back. That girl was such a pain in the neck!

Taking a deep breathe, the boy looked up at the vast blue sky. He thought of his promise to Sorey, suddenly realizing that he wouldn't be able to fulfill it anymore. Yet, at least, he would still be able to see and to be with his friend. That would be more than enough. Or so he liked to believe.

* * *

 **Edna knows it +w+ fufufu ~ xD**

 **Thanks for reading so far !  
** **Bye~Bye,** ❤ **⌒ヽ(*'､^*)chuu***


	4. Chapter 4

**Yô ^0^)/ ~**

 **Here I am with one more chap :3 and I enjoyed writing this chapter so much *3* precious dorks ❤ ~**

 **Anyways, enjoy as much as it's possible but beware of ugly mistakes, as they are present throughout the whole chapter. Forgive me for them m(uvu)m**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

The bell rang, announcing the so awaited lunch break. Excitement filled the classroom as the students socialized while abandoning the place. Mikleo looked over at Sorey, sitting at the desk next to his. Contrary to his usual behavior, the other teen didn't look back at him, nor did he talk. Sorey remained quiet, chin leaning against his hand, lips pouting and brows furrowed. Putting it in a simple way, Sorey was _still_ mad at him. The cause of it was obviously the broken promise from the previous day's morning. Mikleo felt guilty about it, but above all, he felt disappointed and sad. He too had wanted to pass his free time with his friend, eventually take care of him while his fever lasted, talk to him about everything and anything honestly… Yet, it wasn't as if he had broken his little promise because he had wanted. Sorey should have known that better than anyone else, instead of childishly getting mad.

"Mikleo…" Rose's voice brought him back to reality. He looked at her, standing not too far away from him. He noticed Edna talking to Alisha and some other girl at the door; probably planning something for lunch.

"Hum?"

"We're going to the convenience store, you guys coming?"

He hesitated briefly. His eyes looked over at Sorey, and he wondered if his friend was willing to go. In all honesty, he wanted to ask him, but would Sorey even reply? Then again, he had replied all the times Mikleo had talked to him, so he would most likely do it. Still, whenever he replied he looked at Mikleo grumpy, either pouting or with furrowed brows, and although Mikleo found him hopelessly adorable, it still bothered him quite a lot.

"I'm not going. I still want to study some more." He ended up saying, looking back at Rose. Even though it wasn't a lie, he didn't really feel like going with the girls today.

"Okay." The redhead looked over at the brunet. "It's not as if I don't know the answer, but… What about you Sorey?"

"No." He simply replied without looking at the girl.

"See? I knew it. Well, it wouldn't be like you to leave Mikleo behind, all alone." Rose stated teasingly, grinning knowingly.

The boy in question blushed slightly at his friend's words. While it was true that he and Sorey were always together, she didn't have to put it in such a misunderstanding and embarrassing way. Seriously, Rose had no shame. However, even though he wanted to tell her all that, there's no way that he would actually do it. Just thinking of the embarrassment that would cause him, was enough to prevent him from opening his mouth to argue back.

"We'll see you later then." Saying that, Rose headed to the classroom's door, leaving with her two friends.

The classroom was now empty, aside from them, which was unusual. Normally, there would be some students behind, mainly girls, who opted by having lunch in the classroom, yet it seemed that today everyone felt like eating out. Was there something happening that he did not know about? Not that he truly cared about it. The lesser people, the better. He liked the quietude of the empty classroom; although he disliked the uncomfortable silence going on between him and Sorey.

Sighing, Mikleo grabbed his bag taking out two lunch boxes. He looked at Sorey's and wondered if his friend would still want to eat lunch with him. But having in mind that they had come to school together, and that he had still decided to stay behind with him, then maybe eating together was fine.

Softly, almost hesitantly, Mikleo stretched out his hand holding Sorey's lunch box. As he waited for his friend to notice his gesture, his words left his mouth in soft stutters.

"U-Uhm.. H-here's your lunch."

Hearing Mikleo's voice, made his heart skip a beat. Sorey looked over at the other male, noticing his outstretched hand gently holding a lunch box. His lunch box. His heart skipped another beat. Without hesitation, Sorey accepted it. His green orbs looked up and into Mikleo's violet ones. Sorey's mouth was opened and closed a couple of times, as he desperately tried to look for the right words to speak; he wanted to talk to Mikleo. Sorey was tired of being mad at him. Well, in truth, he wasn't really mad at him. He had gotten yesterday though, the moment the other teen had left him alone with Alisha without fulfilling his promise, but then his anger had vanished and all Sorey felt was hurt. Still, he had acted childishly this morning and, even though he wanted, he hadn't yet been able to properly talk to Mikleo and apologize, thus the unusual silence between them and his bad mood.

Yet, in the end, no word came to him, so Sorey said the only thing he truly felt after receiving his bentou. "Thank you." His fingers squeezed the lunch box slightly. There was so much more to say… Why weren't the words coming to him?

Mikleo observed his friend's troubled expression mildly surprised. Was something bothering him, aside from their little problem that is? Although he wanted to ask it, he didn't know if he really should do it. But he couldn't stand seeing Sorey so shaken without knowing the reason. After all, he might be able to help him if he knows the problem. Alright; he was going to ask him without fear!

"Is something wrong?" His pale fingers trembled slightly over his own bentou, before squeezing it nervously.

Sorey's eyes widened. The boy looked up, mouth half opened, almost spilling all his feelings; and yet…

"Seriously, seriously! The guy just went and punched him."

"Ugh~ what an idiot!"

The words died in his mouth as two of his classmates entered the classroom. Disappointment and frustration invaded him. Sorey had, yet again, lost his opportunity to apologize.

Just like the idiot from his classmates' conversation had done, Mikleo also felt like punching them right there and then. Why did they have to invade the classroom now? Gosh… He was so irritated. If not for them, he was sure that Sorey would have ended up telling him what was troubling him. But he wouldn't give up.

"L-Let's go to the usual place and have lunch."

Sorey nodded, and followed behind Mikleo.

* * *

Even though they were sitting under the usual tree, with bentou in hands and all the opportunities in the world to speak, the silence was back.

" _I guess it can't be helped."_ Mikleo thought, giving up for now. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sorey's lunch box unopened.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked pointing at his friend's bentou with his chopsticks.

"Hm…"

"Then you should eat. There's tamagoyaki… It's slightly sweet, as you like." Mikleo explained, lips curved into a soft smile.

Sorey looked at the other male taken aback. His heart raced momentarily. Mikleo's words had made him so happy. "T-Thank you…" Unwittingly, his thumb caressed the silky dark blue fabric covering the lunch box.

Mikleo's cheeks reddened lightly. "Y-You don't have to thank me." He stuttered, continuing to eat as if to get rid of the sudden embarrassment.

As he filled his mouth with rice, Mikleo thought back to the promise he had broken. The guilt returned full force. Even though Sorey had something troubling him, his friend was still mad at him, thus he should take this opportunity to apologize. Although he hadn't done it on purpose, the fact of not doing as he had promised to Sorey, couldn't be erased.

Placing the chopsticks inside the half-emptied bentou, Mikleo closed it and placed it next to him. He then looked at Sorey; said male was quietly looking down at his own lunch box, lost in thought. Mikleo looked away, at his hands, as if the way his fingertips played against each others was the most interesting thing in the world. Nervousness was amazing to make him act like that. Trying to calm down, he took a deep breath, violet eyes closed briefly.

" _There's nothing to be afraid of. Sorey will forgive you."_ He tried, as best as he could, to push his fears and nervousness away.

Feeling ready, he started, "Sorey―"

As expected, the other teen looked up at him.

"I'm sorry."

Sorey's heart skipped a beat.

"It wasn't my intention to break our promise. But it was something that I couldn't prevent from happening. I know this shouldn't be an excuse, but I―"

"You don't have to apologize! I… I understand." Sorey said bluntly, frustrated at Mikleo's apology. If there was someone in the wrong, it was him. He should be the one apologizing. He had been the one acting childishly, after all.

"I'm sorry." The brunet, finally, apologized.

"Eh― W-Why are you apologizing? I thought you were mad." Mikleo said clearly surprised.

"I am not. I was, yesterday, but it was just for a short moment. While talking to Alisha, I understood that I shouldn't blame you for anything. If I had been in your place, I'd have done exactly the same thing. I don't like to see my friends worried after all."

The more he spoke, the more relieved he felt. He was glad he was finally able to tell Mikleo how he truly felt about what had happened. None of them was at fault, yet for acting the way he did, Sorey felt awkward; and all he wanted was to get rid of that awkwardness and talk normally to Mikleo.

Mikleo, on the other hand, did not know what to say nor how to react. The surprise took total control over him, and all he could do was listen to Sorey until the very end, while his heartbeat quickened minute after minute.

"That's why Mikleo, there's no need for you to apologize nor to feel guilty. But, if possible,, forgive me for acting the childish way I did this morning and for avoiding you."

Mikleo couldn't hide the gentle smile that made its way on his lips. He looked fondly at the nervous teen beside him, and said teasingly in order to push his nervousness away, "You're right; you were really childish."

Sorey pouted. "I'm sorry."

Mikleo chuckled. "Seriously, you're such a dummy."

"It's not as if I can help it." The other teen bemoaned. "I was really looking forward to having you taking care of me."

"Wha―"

"I thought that we would be able to talk a lot, and then you would take my temperature, and maybe… feed me…"

"F-Feed you?" Mikleo's face flushed as intensely as the cherry tomatoes he had eaten a while ago.

"M-Maybe not…?" Sorey said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"W-Why would you even think that?" The tone of his voice was slightly louder due to the embarrassment. Just thinking of Sorey's idea was making his heart race like crazy.

"That's because I was sick, of course." Sorey's cheeks reddened a little too. He wasn't lying per se, but he wasn't saying the whole truth either.

"Do you even―"

"AH!"

"W-What?"

Emerald orbs looked expectantly at amethyst ones. "You could feed me now, I still haven't eaten."

"H-HUH? Are you idiot? Why would I do that?" Mikleo couldn't believe in what he had heard. His heart, nonetheless, seemed to have felt every single word Sorey had spoken; as it beat more uncontrollably than ever.

"A-As compensation; compensation!" Sorey tried, his fingers nervously playing against each others.

"Compensation? Why would I need to do such a thing? You just said I didn't need to apologize!" If possible, Mikleo wanted to dig a hole and hide there until he couldn't feel the unbearable heat on his cheeks and ears anymore. The most embarrassing of it all, was that Sorey was obviously seeing his reaction. Tsk!

"I really would have liked you to feed me. I got really sad when you broke the promise…" Crestfallen, the brunet looked down at his lunch box. "Well, I guess it's really impossible in the end. But at least―"

Sorey was abruptly cut off by Mikleo's unexpected action. Said male, grabbed the unopened bentou from Sorey's hands, unwrapping it from the dark blue fabric and opening the white box, finally revealing the delicious lunch.

"Mi-Mikleo?" Sorey uttered completely surprised.

"If… If it's just once, I'll do it." Mikleo muttered softly, almost inaudible. His face, ears and neck completely flushed; even his pale hands seemed to be slightly red. Yet, it wasn't as if he was completely against the idea of feeding Sorey, on the contrary. However, what he utterly disliked was the unbearable embarrassment he felt because of it. But, as long as he could make Sorey happy, it would all be worth it.

Sorey, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes away from his friend. The adorable sight in front of him was too irresistible and captivating to be ignored, thus he tried to register every single moment of it inside his head. He was sure he would remember it forever.

"M-Mikleo, a-are you sure?" He asked, cheeks reddening more and more by the second.

"Tsk- If you ask me again, I'll change my mind."

"Ah no, no! Sorry!" Sorey apologized, waving his hands frantically as if that would make his friend forget his previous question.

Pushing his embarrassment away, if that was even possible, Mikleo sliced a small portion of tamagoyaki with the chopsticks. Hands shaking slightly, face burning more than ever, heart racing uncontrollably against his chest, Mikleo swallowed hard, softly taking the chopsticks to Sorey's mouth.

The other boy was no different from him; his level of embarrassment was as high as Mikleo's. And just like his friend, Sorey too swallowed hard before slightly opening his mouth and accept the food.

" _Ah he is so cute."_ Sorey thought as he swallowed the food and observed his shy friend timidly biting his bottom lip. The sudden sensation of butterflies flying all over his stomach reached him. It was impossible to describe how felt right now, but he definitely didn't want this moment to end.

"Né Mikleo, can you do it one more time?" Sorey asked unaware of how gently his hand wrapped Mikleo's wrist. The other male didn't seem to notice it either; or if he did, he didn't mind it.

"I-It can't be helped." He said looking everywhere but at Sorey's green eyes. Mikleo too wished for this moment to last a bit longer; he wished for it so strongly, that he ended up forgetting how embarrassing it was.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Rose greeted both males, sitting down at the desk in front of Sorey's.

"Hey Meebo!" Edna followed the redhead's example and greeted him, sitting at the desk in front of his. "So, how was your lunch break?"

Mikleo flushed instantly at such a question, flashbacks of the sweet moments he spent with his best friend suddenly attacking his head. And, just like him, Sorey too blushed considerably.

"W-Why are you asking that all of a sudden?" Mikleo questioned, trying to remain composed, but clearly failing.

"Oh nothing really. It's just that when we were returning to school, Rose took a certain photo you know?" As she spoke, she reached for Rose's cell phone that rested over the table between her hands.

Mikleo swallowed hard, suddenly nervous of asking further questions.

"I'll show you, just give me a second… Ah, here! Look, it's cute isn't it?"

Hesitantly, amethyst eyes looked at the large screen of Rose's cell phone. The photo displayed on it, froze him on the spot. If not for the impossible way his entire face flushed, yet again, they would say he had turned into a statue.

"Oh my! It is cute, indeed." A sudden feminine voice sounded next to his red ears. Startled, Mikleo looked back at the long haired woman, trying his hardest to hide the photo on the cell phone.

"Lailah?! What are you doing here?"

Said woman pouted. "Sensei, Mikleo-san. Lailah-sensei. We are at school." She explained seriously. Even though she was close to Mikleo because of his uncle, at school she still wanted to be treated accordingly to the rules she had stipulated. "Plus, can't the principal of school visit the students' classrooms?"

"Tsk"

"But anyways, Edna-san, what's that photo?"

Mikleo glared at the woman, but she was clearly unfazed by it. He then looked at Sorey, obviously expecting his friend to say something, but to his surprised Sorey was too busy being embarrassed and trying to hide it.

"You all…" Nearly exploding, Mikleo grabbed the cell phone and ran towards the classroom's door. "Enough! I'm going to delete this!"

"Ah, hey!" Rose tried to stop him, but he was faster; for once. The redhead shrugged, looking back at her friends. "Oh well, it's okay. Edna took one with her phone as well." She smirked, sticking out her tongue.

"Né Rose, c-can you send it to me?" Shyly, Sorey asked. All the three women looked at him in disbelief for a second.

Rose's smirk widened. "Sorey, you naughty boy… Okay!" She teased but agreed with a playful wink. The boy blushed even more, but he couldn't care less about his embarrassment. What mattered was that he would be able to recall that moment even more vividly once he had that photo. There was nothing better than that.

Mikleo, on the other hand, had ran as fast as he could with Rose's cell phone in hands. Once he felt safe, he stopped and quickly deleted the embarrassing photo of him feeding Sorey. Those idiots would pay for that! Little did he know that all his efforts had been in vain.

* * *

 **xD idk pals... lmao I have to admit that I love Rose at the end hahaha**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading so far :D**

 **Bye~Bye, ❤⌒ヽ(*'､^*)chuu***


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